Say hello to the perfect spring dip: Lemon & Herb White Bean Dip. It’s creamy, bright, and lemony with a hint of garlic and dill, and requires just 7 wholesome ingredients and 10 minutes to make. The perfect dip or spread for sandwiches, veggies, Buddha Bowls, and more! Let us show you how it’s done.
This recipe is not a traditional hummus as it doesn’t use chickpeas, but is inspired by the creamy chickpea-based dip — with a springy, white bean twist. Those looking for a deeper dive into the history of hummus can find more information here and here.
White Bean Dip
White beans are the perfect legume for dips because they have a mild flavor that lets the seasonings shine. Our favorite bean to use is cannelini, which has a naturally buttery taste and creamy texture.
Sticking with the classic hummus-inspired elements, we included tahini for creaminess, lemon juice and zest for tartness, and garlic for zing. Olive oil adds richness and sea salt brings it all together.
A generous amount of fresh dill adds herby flavor and the immediate feeling that spring is here! We made it, friends!
We hope you LOVE this white bean dip! It’s:
Lemony
Garlicky
Zesty
Herby
Springy
Quick & easy
& SO delicious!
It’s the perfect appetizer or snack, especially served with pita bread, chips, flatbread, crackers, or vegetables. It also goes well in bowls, on toast, in sandwiches, and beyond.
More Bean-Based Dip Recipes
- White Bean Pumpkin Hummus
- Roasted Beet Hummus
- Roasted Jalapeño Hummus
- Golden Goddess (Turmeric) Hummus
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Lemon and Herb White Bean Dip
Ingredients
- 1 (15-oz) can white beans (drained and rinsed // we like cannellini)
- 1/4 cup tahini (see our favorite tahinis in our Tahini Review!)
- 1-2 tsp lemon zest
- 3-4 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced (reduce slightly if you’re not a garlic lover)
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (if oil-free, omit)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill, loosely packed (or sub other herbs of choice)
FOR SERVING optional
- Pita bread or chips (or crackers // gluten-free as needed)
- Fresh or roasted veggies (e.g. carrots, radish, cucumber, beets)
Instructions
- To a food processor (or high-speed blender) add drained, rinsed white beans along with tahini, lemon zest and lemon juice (starting with lesser amounts of both), salt, garlic, and olive oil (reserve herbs for later).
- Blend until creamy, scraping down sides as needed — about 1 minute. If you prefer more texture, blend for less time. If you prefer silky smooth dip, blend for longer.
- Add chopped dill (or other herbs) and pulse again to combine.
- Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more garlic for zing, lemon zest or juice for brightness or acidity, salt to taste, olive oil for creaminess / floral notes, dill for more herbal notes, or tahini for nuttiness. We like pretty bold flavors, so we added the additional lemon zest and juice and a pinch more salt.
- Enjoy immediately, or refrigerate to chill, which allows the dip to thicken. Option to garnish with additional drizzle of olive oil, lemon zest, and fresh dill for serving. Serve with pita bread or chips, flatbread, crackers, or vegetables of choice.
- Leftovers keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Not freezer friendly.
Video
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.
Aliza H says
Wonderful! We love chickpea hummus, so made as written & adored it. (Ok added extra garlic at the end, but that’s because we’re freaks.) Such a great base to experiment with different herbs too, thanks for the tips! May try rosemary & less tahini next time for fun, thx for the inspo into trying more white bean based spreads/sauces!
Amazing! Love this :) Thank you for sharing, Aliza! xoxo
Lazza says
Hi, has anyone thought of using this as a “sauce” for a veggie burger? Reading the ingredients it seems it could lend itself as a sauce or even a salad dressing…although it maybe to thick for the latter. Any thoughts or comments? cheers
Hi Lazza, that could be tasty, depending on the flavor profile of the burger! For a salad dressing, you could thin with water and maybe add more lemon juice or some apple cider vinegar. Let us know if you do some experimenting!
Glenda says
This recipe was a delicious starter for a recent holiday gathering. Although I appreciate the ability to scale the recipe I have no idea what .8 of a cup is. Wish this was more useful _ I end up just using the full recipe and doing the math myself.
We’re so glad you enjoyed the dip, Glenda! Thank you for the feedback on the scalability. We wish it was more functional too and will continue to look into ways to make that possible!
Misty Anderson says
I love this recipe. Ive made it a couple of times now. I’m not a garlic fan so use only a sprinkle of garlic powder and lots of dill powder as I use what’s in my pantry. The lemons in this brighten up the flavor so much. Thanks for this recipe!
We’re so glad you’re enjoying it, Misty! Thanks so much for sharing. xo
Janet Ellis says
Can I use basil instead of dill?
Hi Janet, you could use basil in this!
Maggie says
Pretty delicious, I love the option of another white bean besides chicken pea. What would you suggest other than more olive oil to make it smoother? I think it’s pretty thick.
Hi Maggie, you could add water 1 tbsp at a time to reach your desire consistency, though it might dilute the flavor. Hope this helps!
Stephanie says
Anither successful recipe by M.B.!!!! Delicious!
I used giant lima beans!
Whoop! Thank you for sharing, Stephanie! xo
Frieda Faulk says
This is a great alternative to hummus. Really appreciate the simplicity of making this and love the blended flavors of lemon and dill together. I’m sure it’s going to taste even better tomorrow. I’ve found a new favorite dip.
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoy it, Frieda. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Jess says
I used dried beans, soaked & cooked with a bit of baking soda & salt. Pulsed the garlic into the lemon juice and let it sit for 15 and subbed the olive oil with aqua faba. Blended for 15 mins (quad batch) and it came out a beautiful almost whipped texture. Wonderful!!
Amazing! Thank you for sharing, Jess! xo
Nickie says
What would be a good substitute for the dill?
Hi Nickie, We’d suggest parsley, or a lesser amount of oregano. Hope that helps!
Vegan4life says
I doubled the recipe because I had a feeling I would like it… I love it! Great snack for dipping celery and spread into a pita for vegan sandwiches. Garlic + dill + creamy great northern beans = very delicious!
Yay! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Nina says
Yumm, I could eat this by itself with a spoon! I also made this for the Spring Buddha Bowl and to eat with the GF flat bread. This dip will become a staple, it’s so simple and I always have these ingredients in the fridge/pantry. Thank you!
Aw, yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing, Nina! xo
Kate says
Fantastic dip! Very flavorful – don’t skip the dill! Great with veggie and toasted flatbread. Thanks for a great and easy recipe!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed this one, Kate. Thanks for the lovely review! xo
Natalie says
Loved this bean dip! I prefer this over hummus as I’ve never loved chickpeas.
We’re so glad you enjoy it, Natalie! Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Ann says
Wow! This is an awesome recipe! I didn’t have dill so I tried a handful of spinach, and also added ALL the zest of a small lemon because I love strong lemon flavor. I also did it in the food processor (instead of my usual Vitamix for this sort of thing) – and the texture was an added plus. (I’m really lazy and don’t chop anything first – just throw it in.) This dip tastes so bright and fresh… like nothing else I’ve made. This recipe has gone right into my favorites folder! I love and make several of your dips regularly (your 5-minute hummus and your sunflower seed dill dip are big favorites) – but this one transcends even those delectables.
xoxo! Thanks for sharing, Ann!
Mary says
I made my own tahini this time, it seemed bitter, is that how it’s supposed to taste?
Because I’m on a budget, I didn’t but already made so I have nothing to compare it to.
Hi Mary, tahini does have an earthy/bitter taste. But is it possible you were using unhulled sesame seeds? That could lead to it being more bitter.
Anonymous says
Tahini is only bitter if you use cheap shop bought tahini or make it at home with regular sesame seeds. Sadly to find the best flavour tahini – rich, earthy, drippy (and not bitter in the slightest!) (at least here in the UK) you have to search online for a Middle Eastern tahini which probably costs double
Sara says
What a great recipe! Love the dill and lemon combo. Only thing I’ll do differently next time is use one-two cloves of garlic instead of four. I’m usually a big garlic lover but that much raw garlic has me feeling like a fire breathing dragon. Also I was out of tahini so subbed a couple tablespoons of peanutbutter which seemed to work just as well. Thanks!
Thank you for sharing, Sara! xo
Jeanne says
Delicious and easy to make. Didn’t have enough fresh dill on hand, so supplemented with some flat leaf parsley, and used canned great northern white beans…..was so eager to make this that I didn’t want to wait for my cannellini beans from the freezer to thaw! This is a keeper recipe, and I thank you for it. I’m looking forward to making it again, exactly as written!
So wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Jeanne!
Lana says
Finally, a hummus recipe that I LOVE!! The only thing I changed was to add a bit of water to get the food processor running smoooooth. It’s so good!
Lana says
I say ‘hummus’ because I used chickpeas instead. :)
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Lana! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Robyn says
I have a lot of dried dill I’d like to use. I see online that 1Tbsp fresh dill could be subbed for 1Tsp dried dill. Does that seem appropriate?
Yes, but start with slightly less as I find dried dill is more pungent than other dried herbs.
Heyfa says
I usually like your recipes, but this has me puzzled. If you know that “hummus” means “chickpeas”, then you know this is not hummus but a canellini bean dip. It’s nice to see people innovate on my country’s food, but it’s sad to see what we consider the national dish of Lebanon appropriated in a way that changes its very essence but still banks on its name. On the off-chance you are from my part of the world, this is still not a positive thing to do, as it validates how others all over the world have been using and abusing our food to push their own agenda and make profit. I hope you take this into consideration and rename this recipe.
Heyfa, we appreciate your thoughtful feedback. We’ve updated the post!
Randy says
I understand your objection to the hummus label, but by the same token, “pizza” couldn’t or shouldn’t be used for all the different varieties of pizza world over because it came from Italy and in its infancy it was a simple peasant using-leftovers-meal on a flatbread. Nothing like what we have these days, from cauliflower crust to pineapple and bacon topping. You are a bit too sensitive, especially since names/labels of foods do change according to people’s whim. Curry is a good example. There is a dish called curry and a spice mix, called curry. So if I don’t exactly use the original mixture, I cannot call it curry anymore? Hmm
Michelle Jay says
Sounds excellent, I will try it!
Wondering what you’d suggest to substitute for the dill? I am not fond of dill but some other herb? Sage? Cilantro?
I’d say either of those would work, well, and maybe even oregano and parsley! Let us know if you try!
Steph says
This looks so good! Semi related question: do you have a favorite tahini alternative you can recommend? My daughter is allergic to sesame seeds. I’ve been using olive oil instead, but it’s definitely missing something.
Hmm, what about a nut butter such as cashew?
Shamani says
Hi there,
I am not a big fan of dill. Please advise what other herbs would go well here. Thanks.
Shamani
Hi Shamani. I’d say parsley or cilantro would be the next best subs!
Shamani Nair says
Thank you, and by the way I love the colourful top you are wearing.
xo!
Bernadetteconroy@aol.com says
My mouth Watered just reading the recipe: lemon, dill, white beans. How Fresh and Spring-like.
My instincts were Correct. I didn’t change a thing and served with pita and slices of cold, crisp radish.
You never fail, my dear.
Bernadette. So kind! Thanks for sharing! So glad you enjoyed it.
DesiDesi says
Will make this tonight! My body screams lemony flavours and fresh herbs these days, so it is perfect! Just FYI, if there are only white beans and no chickpeas, it’s a dip, not hummus :)
Names matter, and hummus literally means “chickpeas” ;)
Thank you for the feedback, Desi!
Poots says
It sounds like a delicious bean dip, but you can’t make hummus without chickpeas. Since hummus literally means chickpea in Arabic 😅
Thank you for the feedback!